Photo by The 77 Human Needs System on Unsplash

Profits vs. Not-for-Profits: Are You Connected to Your Why?

The team and I at Lever have been reflecting on why we have so many clients in the not-for-profit space. It’s been a privilege to support organisations across various sectors that are making incredible, impactful contributions to the world.

One theory we’ve developed is that those working in not-for-profits are deeply connected to their ‘why.’ They have a genuine drive to achieve impactful results and make a tangible difference, often addressing critical needs in underserved sectors or supporting disadvantaged communities and regions. Their work is crucial, and their commitment is inspiring.

For those of us in the for-profit sector, this reflection invites a deeper question: What is your “why”? How critical is it to drive behavioural change from learning in your organisation? If you find yourself merely delivering content without urgency or purpose, it might be time to reconnect with your mission.

We’ve seen similar passion among our clients in the pharmaceutical industry, who speak about their “why” with fervour, knowing the profound impact their work has on health and well-being.

No matter your role, industry, or customer, let’s strive to make learning impactful and connect deeply with our purpose. Whether you’re serving internal teams, external clients, or the broader community, aligning with your “why” can transform your work into something truly meaningful. There hasn’t been much talk about purpose when it comes to skills, and let’s face it, everyone is talking skills uplift right now! New skills need to not only be learnt and demonstrated but used on a day-to-day basis. When this is paired with a purpose, it will be turbocharged!

Let’s reignite our passion for our purposes and ensure that learning leads to real change. If I can assist you with your learning transfer needs, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’d be delighted to help you create an even greater impact, whatever field you’re in.

Photo by The 77 Human Needs System on Unsplash

Emma Weber is a recognized authority on the transfer of learning. As CEO of Lever–Transfer of Learning, she has helped companies such as Telstra, Oracle and BMW deliver and measure tangible business results from learning. She has also been a guest speaker at learning effectiveness conferences worldwide and authored the hugely successful book Turning Learning into Action. Much more detail around the issues and solutions examined in this article are available in the book – please feel free to download a free chapter. Emma and her team also developed Coach M, a coaching chatbot that delivers fully scaleable learning transfer. She is also a co-author of the books Making Change Work, and Designing Virtual Learning for Application and Impact. Her work and approach is also featured in Data and Analytics for Instructional Designers by Megan Torrance (Author), Foundations of People Metrics and Analytics – by Renjini Joseph and an ATD 10-minute case study series – Chatbot Coaching for Learning Transfer.